Molyneux isn’t convinced by SmartGlass

Peter Molyneux may have just launched Curiosity: What’s Inside the Cube? on smartphone and tablets this week, but he’s not convinced by the way tablet devices are being used by Wii U and via Xbox SmartGlass. He reckons it’s a case of tech guys running wild with ideas without thinking of the logistics.

Speaking with IGN, Molyneux discussed the problems that come with tablet controllers, “The thing about the SmartGlass is that the tablet is a thing that you have with you all the time. Now, in that sense, I understand completely as a consumer and I’m excited to see what these guys do with it. But I do have a problem with it.

“I now have a screen in front of me on my lap and a screen up on the wall that I’m looking at. Which one should I be looking at? Should I be looking up at the big screen and down, or at my lap and up? Should I be checking down on my lap every few seconds? What’s going to incentivize me to move my eyes from the wall to my lap?

“In a way, part of me is excited by this. But part of me is worried that this is a bit of tech which us tech boys get really excited about, and until I see some really great uses of that SmartGlass or the Wii U GamePad, the jury is out for me to be honest with you. I can see it if I’m watching a football game that the scores would come up on the SmartGlass. I’m all there for that.

“I can see if I’m watching a TV episode and it gives me some background on the actors. I’m kind of there, but I can do that on the internet already. The real use for me is how it’s used as part of the entertainment experience, and then that divided attention that you’re demanding of a player is going to be really challenging to balance well.”

What’s your take on the rise of tablet gaming and control functions linked to home consoles? Are you a fan, or are you a staunch supported of standard controllers? Let us know below.

Also, VG247 interviewed Peter Molyneux recently, where he argued that while the industry makes plenty of good games, it has yet to produce a great one. Find out what he means here: